AKI, AKD and CKD: add the timeline

An existing course figure connecting acute and chronic kidney disease.

Andrew Bland, MD, FACP, FAAP · October 21, 2026

Existing course diagram

Existing course diagram: AKI is within the broader category of acute kidney disease; AKI and CKD overlap as AKI on CKD.
The course AKI–AKD–CKD diagram. Focus on the overlap: AKI on CKD. The disease examples illustrate possible patterns rather than exclusive categories; a disease can have acute and chronic manifestations.

Read time and baseline together

AKI is a rapid change in kidney function. AKD is a broader category of abnormalities lasting no more than three months and includes AKI. CKD requires abnormalities of kidney structure or function for at least three months. An acute insult can occur on a chronic background.

The disease examples in the existing course figure are illustrative, not exclusive categories: glomerular and interstitial diseases can have both acute and chronic manifestations. Identify the previous baseline and the new change.

The upper panel retains its Kidney International/ISN attribution to Lameire and colleagues’ KDIGO consensus report. This is an existing course image, not a newly generated illustration.

Lameire et al., 2021: harmonizing AKD and CKD definitions

AKI lecture · CKD lecture · Day 1 teaching